Fireside Chats
by LittleLauren
Summary: What if Ron and Hermione's famous kiss in DH wasn't their first kiss? I, for one, like to think that it wasn't. Overdue? Yes. But maybe it was overdue for a different reason? This is a story of how Ron and Hermione could have gotten together. Pre-DH...ish. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I have been working on my other Romione stories, but I recently read this amazing essay on how Ron and Hermione's famous kiss in DH wasn't necessarily their first kiss. I loved that idea so much, that it is now part of my head canon. I couldn't resist writing about it! I'm sorry for being so non-existent lately, but ya girl's gotta finish finals!

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Fireside Chats

"What a load of bullshit," Ginny muttered, helping Hermione unpack. Well, more like grabbing things out of Hermione's trunk and throwing it violently in a pile on top of the spare bed they had placed in Ginny's room. "I am just as much a part of the Order as everyone else. I get why I can't go on missions, but I should at least be in meetings!"

"It was boring anyway," Hermione tried, but Ginny saw right through it.

"I heard the whole thing from the steps." She continued exasperatedly. "And Mum knows it! I tell her all the time."

"It's her way of keeping you safe."

"I don't need saving," she said, angrily tossing Hermione's shoes by the foot of her bed. "How many people do I have to tell that to?"

Hermione finished writing a list of books and supplies, and placed it in a small, beaded bag. She had a lot to get done, and so little time to do it. And Ginny's aggressive assistance was not the help she was looking for. "Please, don't be rash, Gin. It's only for a little while. Pretty soon, you'll be seventeen and you'll be able to do what you want."

Ginny plopped on the bed with all of Hermione's things, and glanced up at the ceiling. "Sometimes, I wish that I didn't have such an uptight mother," she complained. "I've dealt with worse at school than what you're all talking about."

Hermione knew her friend didn't mean it, but that statement struck a very tender chord. Family was everything to both of them. It was what held them together… made them want to fight in this war in the first place. She desperately wanted to tell Ginny what she had done to protect her family, but knew that it would be a conflict of interest. She did not want to risk telling her anything about them leaving, on the off chance she ran into trouble later in the year.

To avoid the inevitable inquiry that would come with crying in front of her friend, Hermione puffed out a sigh. "I'll be right back." Without waiting for Ginny's reply, Hermione dashed out the door and down the staircase. Before she could reach the door, she found herself gravitating toward the fireplace in the living room. The mantle adorned many pictures of the Weasley clan. Some were of older people she didn't recognize, and some were new. She traced the edge of the picture of the Weasley's trip to Egypt, and smiled amidst her tears.

She sat herself down on the warm couch facing the fireplace, which was burning just enough embers to see the family portraits and little knickknacks surrounding her. This place truly felt like home, but there was still an emptiness inside that she couldn't quite shake.

Ron came out of the kitchen with two mugs and a tray of biscuits, one jammed into his mouth. He stopped from going up the stairs when he saw Hermione crying. "Hermione?" he muffled. When she did not answer him, he dropped the biscuit out of his mouth, set aside the tray, and sat himself next to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern written all over his face. "Was it what Fred said in the meeting? Sometimes he can be a right prick-"

"No, it's not that," she mumbled. She breathed heavily as she tried calming down, but all that did was make her tears flow even faster from her eyes.

Ron put a comforting arm around her and pulled her into him as she continued to cry. Softly, Ron persisted, "Hermione, I need to know what's wrong."

"My parents. I had to- to…" She was quietly sobbing into Ron's shoulder now. But Ron shifted her away from him so they were face to face. Ron's eyes were fearful, searching for an answer from a distraught Hermione. "I Obliviated them, Ron," she confessed. "They can't be here when I'm- when I-"

"When we leave," Ron finished her statement. He spent no time engulfing her in his arms.

And she held on tight as she cried some more. There was so much warmth in his embrace that her sobs eventually slowed down to sniffles and short hiccups. She broke away from him after a few more moments, wiping her remaining tears away.

"Sorry, I probably look like a mess," she croaked.

Ron brushed away her hair that was stuck to her face and chuckled. "No more than usual."

She couldn't help but break into a smile at his attempts to cheer her up.

"There it is," he said proudly. He never really had a chance to look at her smile so up close before. The creases above her mouth folded just above her cheekbones. Her teeth were so white and her lips were thin and pink. He definitely took these moments with her for granted. And so much had happened in the last few years that her smile seldom showed itself anymore. And it didn't help that he felt personally responsible for the amount of frowns and tears she shed all last year.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when Hermione asked, "Who are those for?" She indicated to the mugs and biscuits.

Ron felt his face warm up as he said, "They were for you. You seemed kind of distant when you got here, so I figured I'd try to cheer you up. Maybe find out what's wrong. Glad I did." He reached back to take both mugs in his hands.

"You were going to give this to me?"

"I'm giving it to you now," he corrected her, offering up one of the mugs of hot liquid.

She took it and basked in its scent. "I love warm pumpkin juice."

"I know," he smiled. "Cheers."

They clinked mugs and took a sip at the same time. Hermione's body immediately relaxed from her rigid appearance before. "This is lovely, Ron." She placed a hand over his, and looked into his eyes. "Thank you."

She had a lump in her throat, like she was going to cry again, but resisted the urge. Ron's gesture was truly beautiful and kind. And he looked so lovely in the light from the fireplace. He simply shrugged and smiled.

Hermione doesn't remember seeing Ron's face so up close before. There were smaller freckles that she's never seen. And his smile was lopsided, but it moved up to his eyes. That's one of the reasons why Hermione liked him so much: he was always genuine. Even when he was arguing with her, she always admired the way he felt so passionately.

And then, something clicked. After all these years, Hermione finally realized that Ron never hid from his emotions. Rather, he had too many emotions to handle. He wore his heart of his sleeve, just like she did.

His smile faded, but he didn't drop his gaze. This was different. This was new. And it both scared and intrigued Hermione. And he was leaning in. And she found herself leaning in, getting closer and closer to each other. Heart pounding in her chest, Hermione couldn't take the slow pace. She closed the short gap and kissed him quickly.

Realizing what she had done, Hermione jumped back, eyes wide. "I'm sorry," she said, turning red. "I didn't mean to-"

"I wanted to," he confessed. His palms were sweaty and he couldn't see straight; he felt like this was something out of a dream he's had before. He took a deep breath and mustered up all the courage he had to take her hand, pull her in slowly, and kiss her himself.

It was soft and slow and _needed_. It was everything Ron had always thought it would be, except he wasn't as sweaty or feeling his rapid heart pulsing to his ears. He couldn't help but mentally kick himself for not doing this sooner, for he felt like he was flying but only with Hermione. He let go of her hand and snaked it up to her shoulder, then the back of her neck.

And goose bumps immediately spread from his touch. That inclined her to place her vacant and shaky hand onto Ron's waist. She instinctively pressed her fingers to scoot him a bit closer, not caring about their mugs clinking together. She couldn't believe this was real, that this was actually happening.

The last big "clink!" broke them apart.

No words were uttered; they weren't able to speak anyway. Instead, they opted for small, embarrassed smiles.

They heard a creek on the stairs, which immediately brought them back to reality. There was a war going on. They were going to risk their lives to bring Harry here. They were going to leave with Harry to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. There was no time sit here, ogling at each other… _kissing_.

They finally looked away, Hermione resuming her position in front of the fireplace and Ron examining his biscuit tray.

He cleared his throat before he asked, "Do you want me to leave these here?"

Hermione turned to look at the tray, making sure to avoid Ron's eyes. She nodded curtly. "Alright."

"Good!" His voice went a little high-pitched. Nevertheless, he hoisted himself off of the couch and walked toward the staircase.

"Goodnight!" Hermione called out to him, still focused on the fire.

"'Night," he mumbled just before he creaked up the stairs, leaving Hermione alone with a warm mug of pumpkin juice and an array of biscuits. But all she could do was skim her lips gently with her fingers, still in awe of the event that had just occurred.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want me to continue this; I might have a few ideas in mind, but I like that it can stand alone too. 3


	2. Chapter 2

Fireside Chats: Chapter 2

She was stalling, and he probably knew it at this point. She didn't know what awaited her downstairs, but this couldn't be the worst conversation to have with Ron, right?

It was remarkable how creatively they had avoided each other. Only days before the big rescue mission, they have had avoided eye contact, talking directly to one another, and sitting near each other. Although, it was easy once Mrs. Weasley put Hermione straight to work for the wedding. Mrs. Weasley had been hounding Ron to clean his room, so he mostly hid up there. Hermione was sure Ginny would notice the tension; then again, Ginny seemed distracted and on-edge since her exclusion from the Order.

As much as she'd rather keep to herself, Hermione couldn't just ignore what had happened. They finally opened up to each other! The least they could do was talk about it. Hermione was still throwing together a pros and cons list in her head about it when Ron had found her in the barn.

 _"I hope you're here to switch chores," Ginny said, wiping sweat from her face. "I doubt the wedding guests are going to care if the hay barrels are on the left instead of the right."_

 _Ron shifted his feet. "I need to talk to Hermione."_

 _Hermione stiffened and felt her heart beating fast again. She wasn't ready. She didn't go through all of her options yet._

 _"Why can't you say it in front of me?" Ginny asked, rather crossly. "If it's Order business, Hermione's told me everything."_

 _"Merlin, Ginny! I just need one minute."_

 _"This is bullshit!"_

 _"Ginny," Hermione intervened. "It'll take a second."_

 _Ginny gave her friend a pleasing look, but ultimately threw her pitchfork on the ground. "Fine. I'll be by the broom shed." And she stomped away._

 _Still wanting to avoid eye contact, Hermione continued working. She shoved her pitchfork in the barrel of hay and chucked a good amount of it to the other side of the barn. "She's been out of order for a while now, hasn't she?"_

 _"It's Harry's fault, I reckon," he said darkly._

 _"No, it's not," she argued. "She's mad at your Mum. We both know she can take care of herself."_

 _"That's not the point. She's still underage-!"_

 _"Is this why you came in here, Ron?"_

 _"No, I need- I have to-"_

 _"Ronald!" They both turned to Mrs. Weasley's voice in the distance. "Help your father with refurbishing and duplicating the chairs."_

 _"We need to talk," he said before he left. "Meet me in the living room tonight."_

 _Her mental debate went out the window with his statement. He had said it with conviction, and that scared Hermione most of all. Nevertheless, she had agreed._

She waited until a grumpy Ginny fell asleep. It took a while too; the redhead had a heated argument with her mother about wedding preparations. It was uncalled for, and she normally did not act this way. Hermione supposed that Ginny was upset about her breakup with Harry about a month ago. It must have still been pretty raw. Hermione hoped that everything would be fine once they rescued Harry from his Aunt and Uncle's house.

Once she figured the coast was clear, she tip-toed to the door. Hand on the doorknob, she struggled to move forward. This all seemed a lot easier in her head, and yet, there she was, anxious and excited about the unknown. It was now or never, and Ron did not deserve never. And neither did she. Nor did she want to keep stalling. She took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart and, finally, opened the door.

The fire was still roaring from that evening. Ron most likely kept the fire burning for their conversation. He was sitting in the exact same spot from three days ago. Hermione knew he heard her walking down, for the stairs made soft creaks with every step. Still, he didn't turn around. But when she was in his view, he finally did look up. They haven't made eye contact since the incident, so seeing Ron's bright blue eyes staring at her brown was quite surprising.

His face went red, but he mustered a lopsided grin. "Hey."

"Hi," Hermione breathed.

And in no time at all, it seemed, Ron was up as Hermione met him halfway. The tension that grew from the first kiss was definitely severed by their second. It was a bit rougher than last time, but only because of the very obvious height difference. Hermione never realized how truly tall he was until the moment she couldn't wrap her arms fully around his neck without standing on her toes. He counter-balanced her efforts by bending over slightly. His hands found her waist and drew her closer. It was the most uncomfortable pleasure Hermione has ever experienced, and it was happening with Ron!

She didn't know how long they were swaying, lips locked together, but at some point, they pulled apart. Hermione wrapped her arms around his torso as he rested his chin on top of her head. They both made a collective sigh; this was really happening.

"I'm sorry," she heard Ron mumble in her hair.

Hermione backed away, confused. "Why are you sorry?"

He shrugged. "For being a git."

"I hope you're talking about last year…" When he nodded, she relaxed and invited him to sit with her in front of the fire. She knew this conversation had to happen, but that didn't mean she was ready for it. "Alright," she started, placing her hands in her lap. "Why were you a git?"

Ron took a breath in and confessed, "I fancy you. I have for a while, but I didn't exactly know how to tell you."

"You could have just told me," she tried, but he raised an eyebrow.

"Probably the same reason you didn't tell me," he laughed. But in an instant, his face was full of fear. "That is if you… you know…"

Hermione felt herself nod. "Yes, Ronald, I fancy you."

"Brilliant," he said more to himself.

They both stared at the fire, relishing in the realization that their feelings were mutual.

Despite her excitement, Hermione admitted quietly, "You _were_ a huge git."

"I didn't say I was a _huge_ git!" he argued, but it was all in good fun. He knew she was right.

She nudged him and he nudged back, still not looking at each other, still sporting dopey grins.

"I'm sorry too," Hermione said. "I shouldn't have been so cross with you."

"It was warranted," Ron shrugged off. Hermione felt Ron slide his hand over to grasp hers, and her stomach did a backflip. "Could we start over?"

"No."

Their eyes finally met again. Before Ron could sputter his confused reply, Hermione smiled. "Why would you want to start over? We're best friends. We have been through everything together: keeping Harry out of trouble, playing a magical chess board, studying... No, I'd rather continue to be honest."

"Fights and all?"

"Yes, Ronald," she said, allowing him to move closer to her. "Fights and all."


	3. Chapter 3

Fireside Chats: Chapter 3

"How many times are you going to sort out that bloody bag?"

Hermione turned around to see Ron, arms crossed, in his doorway. She resumed her position with restacking books and clothes. "I want to be sure we have enough room for Harry's things."

He walked over and scrutinized the piles in front of them. "We can always take away a few books."

Hermione's incredulous look could have burnt a hole on Ron's face. "Are you _insane?_ You don't know what we might encounter! We might need these."

"But we might not," Ron reasoned. He picked up a book and raised an eyebrow. "I doubt we'll come in contact with Banshees."

"You don't know that," she snapped. She plopped down on Ron's bed and bit her lip, still inspecting her new piles intently. Raising her wand, she swiftly maneuvered the items into different piles. She crossed her legs and rearranged them again, her frustration very evident.

Ron was by her side within seconds, putting his arm around her. "Everything will be fine, you'll see."

He thought his reassurance would calm her; on the contrary, she began to cry. Ron bumbled around his room to find something to wipe her tears away. Eventually, he resorted to finding a clean shirt and tossing it her way. He made a mental note to carry around a handkerchief just in case this happened again.

Stress levels were higher than normal, what with only hours away from the big rescue mission. Everything was planned out and sorted, but there was still a stale tension throughout the house. Hermione's way of dealing with her stress was to hide herself in Ron's bedroom and sort out her beaded bag. Ron's contributions were to make the ghoul in the attic look like a sick version of himself and to steal a bit of the Polyjuice Potion from the Order's stock, which proved difficult to accomplish with his mother constantly breathing down his neck. The best thing they could do at times like these was support each other.

Ron resumed his position next to Hermione, who wiped her tears away with his shirt. "It'll be alright," he tried again. "Harry will give us the plan. He'll know what to do."

Hermione nodded. "Thanks, Ron," she sniffled. With a calming breath, she placed the items back in her beaded bag.

Ron watched her precision and intricacy, and it amazed him. He wanted nothing more than this war to be over so he could spend proper time with Hermione. For now, he'd have to suffice with planning an emergency getaway and reading up on Horcruxes. Still, he couldn't believe he was able to put his arm around Hermione without feeling embarrassed. He felt the upmost satisfaction in comforting her. Then, an idea came to him with a surge of happiness.

"Why don't we meet in front of the fire tomorrow?" he suggested. "It'll lift up your spirits. I'll make warm Pumpkin Juice, your favorite."

Hermione looked up at Ron's lopsided grin, seemingly searching for something. Her brow furrowed as she brought up some fresh tears. "I don't think we can anymore."

"What? Why?" he asked incredulously. "You said-"

"I know what I said," she interrupted him quietly. She twisted his tear-soaked shirt in her hands. "But I think we have to wait."

The weight of her words hit him like a bludger to the gut. "Wait?"

She nodded, biting her lip once more. "Harry needs us more than ever. We have to stick together. All of us."

"We will stick together," he said, but he understood what she meant. In some warped way, he agreed; the best thing to do would be to hold it in. Still, he couldn't help but debate the issue. "Harry will understand."

Despite the argument, they both chuckled. They weren't sure if Harry would understand. And their newfound feelings might hinder their dynamic.

Hermione placed her head on Ron's shoulder, which made his heart sink. They had just established their mutual feelings for each other; he wasn't ready to let go.

"I can't wait until this is over," he mumbled.

Admitting it out loud was all they needed, for Hermione puller her head up and met his lips for the third time ever. It was different than before: sweet and gentle and understanding. It seemed uncharacteristic for Ron, but maybe, Hermione surmised, this was how he had always wanted to be. Unapologetically caring. And considerate. He put his hand up to cup her face as she pushed herself forward even more, heart fluttering. It was still so unreal. Still so new.

They parted slowly, smiling sadly.

"Why don't we, just, not tell him?" he asked desperately as a last attempt effort. "I like what we've got going."

Hermione shook her head. "That wouldn't work."

He didn't argue back as he stood up and looked out the window. "Nearly time, don't you think?" Hermione's sniffles turned him around once more. He knelt down in front of her.

"We stick together, alright?" she decreed, looking down at him. "You and me and Harry."

They were both scared. And they knew they had to set aside their feelings for one another to get through this war in one piece. It was time to fight.

He nodded, heart racing. "No matter what."

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A/N: So, I feel like this is it for this development. This was super different of me to write and put in my canon, but I kinda like it. I like the idea of them talking through their feelings and such before the Order rescues Harry, but agree to set it aside for the time being. Of course, they won't completely cut each other out because of how they interact in DH (Ron dances with Hermione at the wedding; they fall asleep holding hands at Grimmauld Place; they are constantly putting their heads together, talking about things pretty much behind Harry's back). And it makes Ron running away even more tragic, do you think? Like, if they did promise to stick by Harry, and Ron breaks that promise, Hermione most definitely had every right to be upset. And even then, he asks her to come with him. And maybe, when he comes back, his fear of Hermione falling for Harry has manifested because of his betrayal. Ughh, it's all so tragically cute, I can't! Anyway, I'm gonna stop blabbing now. Hope you liked it! Check out my other Romione fics; they all connect somehow! Thanks, my dudes!


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